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Pa. state university president's tweeting of photo taken with 'hotties' draws fire

East Stroudsburg president with students.png

This photo of East Stroudsburg University President Marcia Welsh surrounded by the "Hawthorn Hotties" during a visit to their residence hall has created a stir on campus. The "hotties" is an act created by sophomore John Alston (to the right of Welsh) and senior Jon Madrak (far left) that mimics the erotic dancers in the "Magic Mike" to raise money for charitable causes.

But former Student Senate President Justin Amann suggested labor-management relations being as strained as they are has contributed to the photo becoming a source of controversy.

It has professors questioning whether East Stroudsburg is a university that has double standards and a casual attitude toward sexual assaults. And the president is firing back by calling the negative buzz about her tweet "an insult" and "disservice" to students.

"I don't think that we're going to be having a conversation about this if the relationship on our campus were positive. No question about that," Amann said. "The faculty is in constant attack mode."

This most recent cause of friction arises from a Dec. 8 visit that Welsh paid to the campus' residence halls to deliver holiday cookies. She was greeted by students in each hall sometimes dressed in holiday sweaters or showing their holiday spirit in other ways.

At Hawthorn Suites, she was greeted by the half-dressed "Hawthorn Hotties" – a group of guys who mimic the erotic male dancers in the movie "Magic Mike" to fund-raise for charitable causes. Welsh paused to pose with them for a photo and then tweeted it along with photos of other stops on her cookie delivery tour.

A story on a faculty union-friendly blog Raging Chicken appeared on Monday about the photo and what it called Welsh's "itchy twitter finger." It said she seems deaf to the impact of what it termed as her social media blunders, including this "hotties" tweet that could further enrage "a right-wing legislature hell-bent on breaking Pennsylvania's public higher education system."

Nancy VanArsdale, an English professor who is president of the campus chapter of the Association of Pennsylvania State College and University Faculties, said she became concerned about Welsh's tweet of the "hotties" when she saw it.

She considered it inappropriate and in poor taste in light of the national conversation going on about sexual assaults on college campuses.

"In this heightened era of appropriate sexual behavior on college campuses, faculty and administration cannot condone any kind of somewhat questionable behavior related to sexuality," she said. "I'm sure President Welsh did not intend harm at all but I think the sensitivity could have been better displayed."

VanArsdale also suggested a double standard may exist and had it been a male president standing with a group of scantily clad female students, the reaction would have been much more negative.

"I wouldn't be surprised if at a university where a male president posted such a thing he would be fired," she said.

Caryn Hunt, president of Pennsylvania National Organization for Women, said she understands it was part of a student fund-raising effort and didn't find it egregious. Still, she added, "there could be more sensitivity to sexism."

Welsh responded to a request for an interview by issuing an emailed statement about the negative buzz the photo has generated.

She stated: "Our campus community is inspired by students who put forth a tremendous effort to raise funds for causes that are close to their hearts. The students who refer to themselves as the 'Hawthorn Hotties' were raising money for the American Cancer Society. To exploit the support of our students is not only an insult to them but a malicious disservice to the good work they do for our university and the community."

University spokeswoman Brenda Friday also denied any correlation existed between the photo in question and the issue of sexual assaults on college campuses.

John Alston, a sophomore who along with senior Jon Madrak co-created the 'hotties,' said the faculty is blowing the situation out of proportion.

He said the story behind the photo was he and other students in the residence hall thought it would be funny to have the "Hawthorn Hotties" greet Welsh when she stopped there with cookies.

"We asked to get a picture with her. She didn't have any prior knowledge of that," he said. "There's no promiscuous or sexual reference at all within the picture. There's really nothing to negatively take from that except for the fact that the guys have their shirts off."

He said the "hotties" began as a joke last year. This informal group of guys performed in their residence hall last year to raise money for prostate cancer research. The show was popular so the "hotties" decided to perform this year for a campuswide audience to raise money for prostate cancer research as well as domestic violence and sexual assault awareness and to promote other student organizations.

"I could understand everyone freaking out if President Welsh was taking a picture in an inappropriate manner," Alston said. "I could understand why faculty members would get upset but it was nothing like that."

Amann said he sees the stir over the photo as a diversion from what really angers the faculty: Welsh's decision to eliminate the university's music program and in turn, lay off faculty associated with that program.

He said the union's effort to save the music program is a noble thing if that is what it wants to do, but using this photo to bash Welsh and create a perception of her disregard for campus sexual assaults is all wrong.

"This is in no way an issue at all of the concern about the prevalence of sexual harassment and assaults on campus," he said. "It really is an attack on the administration of East Stroudsburg University."

Attempts on Tuesday to get comments from a university trustee and the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education were unsuccessful.